Afghan FM Muttaqi to CdA Yatin Patel: We attach importance to relations with India

India’s top diplomat in Kabul has held talks with Afghanistan’s foreign minister, with both sides highlighting growing trade and the need for closer cooperation, against a backdrop of substantial Indian development assistance.

Mawlawi Amir Khan Muttaqi, Foreign Minister of the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan, met Yatin Patel, the Chargé d’Affaires of the Indian Embassy, in a courtesy call in the Afghan capital. According to an Afghan readout of the meeting, Muttaqi wished Patel success in his new assignment and said the Islamic Emirate, “in line with its balanced policy, attaches importance to relations with India.”

He noted that the volume of trade between the two countries is increasing and called for greater contact and cooperation between government and private-sector actors “to make maximum use of the capacities of both sides.”

Patel, for his part, said India wishes to expand its engagement and relations with Afghanistan in the economic, political, and humanitarian fields. While India has not formally recognised the Islamic Emirate administration that came to power in 2021, it has maintained regular diplomatic contact and sustained humanitarian and development support.

The exchange comes as India continues a long-standing development partnership that has encompassed more than 500 projects across all 34 Afghan provinces. In recent months, visits by Afghan ministers to India have focused on practical cooperation in humanitarian assistance, healthcare, food security, capacity-building, counter-narcotics, education, trade, and connectivity, aimed at addressing the needs of Afghanistan’s population of more than 48 million.

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On the healthcare front, India has supplied specialised equipment including neonatal and paediatric care devices, ventilators, patient monitors, and surgical kits, along with additional essential medicines and consumables. It has also supported maternity clinic construction and, working with the UN Office on Drugs and Crime, provided medical supplies and social-support items for the rehabilitation of drug addicts. Since August 2021, New Delhi has delivered more than 50,000 tonnes of wheat, over 450 tonnes of medicines and vaccines, and 40,000 litres of pesticides.

Education links have expanded as well: more than 3,000 Afghan students, including 1,000 women, have received opportunities in India since 2023, with a further 1,000 scholarships offered for the current academic year. India has also extended financial and logistical support to women-led self-help groups.

New Delhi withdrew its diplomats and shut the mission amid the chaotic US-led withdrawal from Afghanistan in 2021. In June 2022, it deployed a limited “technical team” to facilitate humanitarian aid, medical support, trade and consular services. In October 2025, External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar announced the upgrade during the first high-level visit by Afghan FM Amir Khan Muttaqi to Delhi. India formally restored embassy status with immediate effect later that month. The mission is headed by a chargé d’affaires.